Truer Hearts Make Good Families
by Ember Belli
Summary: Based on the 1990 film. When The Kid finds an old crush from the orphanage, can he get Tess and Tracy to accept her and bring her into the family? Or will the girl's past be too much for them? A story of how The Kid tries to save his sworn love from her old past, and helps her truly understand what a real family is like.


It was a rather hot day in Chicago. Probably the hottest day The Kid could recall ever living through. He had woken up in sweaty sheets, and before he could motivate himself to slip into his suit, sweat beads could be seen dripping down his forehead.

When The Kid strode into the bathroom, Tracy was standing at the mirror, smoothly shaving his face.

"Morning, Sunshine," said Tracy mockingly when he noticed The Kid yawn. "Did you sleep well?"

The Kid ran a hand through his sweaty blond hair. "Nah. Heat kept gettin' to me," he replied. He wiped the sweat on his palm on a towel.

"It's gonna be a warm one," said Tracy with a jolly tone. The Kid eyed him intently as he slid his razor down to the base of his neck. "I'm going to visit Tess, if you'd like to join me."

The Kid rolled his eyes. "Now, why would I wanna do that? All you two do is pucker-up anyway," he said. He dabbed his face with the towel. Tracy turned to him, shaving cream still smeared across his face.

Tracy looked at him seriously. "Alright," he said, "you don't have to go. You can stay here. Perhaps you can go out for the day and find some friends." Even Tracy had decided that him and Tess were basically his family now, he thought it would be nice for the boy to have friends to spend time with. Perhaps then it would discourage The Kid from wanting to go on cases with him so much.

"Aw, who needs 'em!" exclaimed The Kid angrily, throwing his arm upward. "I never had any friends, and look where I am now."

Tracy quietly returned to his shaving and smiled to himself as a thought passed his mind. He finished shaving, and left the bathroom for The Kid to get dressed.

Although it was so warm outside, The Kid slid into his suit and combed his hair. Tracy hadn't been on any good cases lately. What was taking him so long? Could he not find one? The Kid hesitated for a few moments, and decided to dab cool water on his face before he made his way to the kitchen.

Tracy was there, sipping a cup of coffee. The Kid wondered what was up when he saw his goofy grin. "What's the matter with you, Tracy?" asked The Kid.

Tracy placed his mug down happily and reached into his pocket. He revealed a green bill, and held it out to the boy. "Why don't you take this down to the Diner and get yourself some ice cream?"

That was alright with The Kid! He had become so addicted to ice cream ever since Tracy and Tess took him in. He figured that he could go around snooping for a while, and at about noon,

he'd get ice cream.

The Kid took the bill happily and pocketed it. "Thanks, Tracy," he said happily.

"Be home before three. I was thinking that we'd take Tess out tonight," said Tracy.

"As usual," The Kid muttered, before heading out the door.

The Kid roamed the streets happily, eying the faces of the people he passed. He passed many business people, a few mothers with their children, and every once in a while, a man who appeared gangster-like. He had a terrible urge to snoop, just looking for things he could find. But who could he snoop on? He thought it many times that it would be funny to spy on Tess, although Tess could have a harsh streak to her, The Kid knew that if Tess caught him spying on her, he'd ruin her relationship with Tracy, and he really didn't want that. It wasn't to the fault of Tracy that he was bored most of the time.

The Kid just roamed, watching the way everyday people worked. He strolled through the nearest park, and past Club Ritz, which looked more dead than a mouse in a cats claws. By the time he figured he had walked seven miles or so, it was noon, and he headed towards the Diner.

He ordered himself a chocolate ice cream, and sat on the curb, slowly licking the melted streams. He had just finished about half of it when he saw something peculiar.

Through the crowd of people across the street, he saw a purple object making it's way slowly east. He stopped licking for a few moments. The purple blob was only visible through the small gaps between passing people. It flailed slowly. It seemed to be covering something brownish.

The Kid squinted his eyes, and finally realized what it was when it made it's way to the corner.

Why, it was a young girl. She wore a long, purple dress. The Kid was sure that he had never seen a girl in a purple dress before. The only decent looking dress he had ever seen a woman wear, was a dress that belong to Tess, and it wasn't even purple.

The girl stopped at the corner and began to scan the street.

The Kid then began to get the feeling of familiarity in his stomach. The girl looked so familiar. The only person that it even remotely could be was...

_No_, he thought, _that can't be her!_

He studied her a minute, taking her in like he saw Tracy take in Tess. He looked her head-to-toe. Everything around him seemed to stop. It wasn't until he felt the coldness of his melting ice cream on his wrist that he knew his gut was right.

It had to be her. She had the same small figure, the same head of copper curls that shined gold when the sun hit them just right. He was sure it was her. It truly just had to be her. The Kid grinned to himself, and began walking suavely towards her, abandoning his melting cone on the pavement in the warm Chicago sun.


End file.
